- China deployed H-6 bombers armed with YJ-12 air-launched cruise missiles during Justice Mission-2025 drills around Taiwan, according to official PLA imagery.
- The display highlights China’s use of long-range maritime strike aircraft during joint exercises monitored by regional militaries and the United States.
China’s People’s Liberation Army on Monday publicly displayed H-6 long-range bombers armed with air-launched cruise missiles during Justice Mission-2025 exercises around Taiwan, according to official imagery and statements released by the PLA Eastern Theater Command.
The aircraft shown during the drills were H-6 bombers equipped with two air-to-surface missiles assessed by open-source analysts to be YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles.
According to Chinese military footage and captions released by the Eastern Theater Command, the bomber formations carried out long-range maritime strike training as part of the drill program. The PLA said the exercise focused on long-distance deployment, coordinated strike operations, and joint precision engagement, testing the force’s ability to conduct operations beyond the island chain.
The YJ-12 is a Chinese air-launched supersonic anti-ship cruise missile produced by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation. The missile is externally similar in shape to Russia’s Kh-31 and resembles the U.S. GQM-163 Coyote target missile. It is designed for high-speed penetration of naval air defense systems.
According to the United States Naval War College Review in 2011, the YJ-12 family has a reported range of up to 400 kilometers and carries a high-explosive warhead weighing about 205 kilograms. The same publication compared its range to the U.S. Navy’s Harpoon missile, which has a reported range of 150 to 280 kilometers.
The report also stated that the missile can be launched from distances beyond the engagement range of shipborne air defense systems such as the SM-2 and RIM-162 ESSM, which have maximum engagement ranges of less than 170 kilometers. Launch distance depends on aircraft altitude and flight profile.
Chinese sources state that the YJ-12 has a speed of approximately Mach 2 when launched at low altitude and up to Mach 3.2 when launched from higher altitude, with a maximum range of about 380 kilometers depending on launch conditions. The missile reportedly flies at a terminal altitude of around 15 meters above sea level.
According to Joint Forces Quarterly in September 2014, the missile’s range is up to 250 kilometers with a speed of about Mach 2.5. In February 2015, Chinese military analyst Li Li said the YJ-12 carries a warhead weighing between 400 and 500 kilograms, with a range of 300 kilometers at Mach 3 or up to 400 kilometers at Mach 4, depending on launch profile. Other assessments estimate the actual warhead mass at around 200 kilograms, with kinetic energy from supersonic speed contributing to overall destructive effect.
The H-6 bomber is a long-serving platform within the PLA Air Force and Naval Aviation, adapted over time to carry modern stand-off weapons. When armed with air-launched anti-ship missiles, the aircraft is intended to conduct maritime strike missions at extended distances from the Chinese mainland.
Justice Mission-2025 is being conducted by the PLA Eastern Theater Command and includes air, naval, ground, and rocket force elements operating around Taiwan. The PLA has described the drills as focused on joint operations, blockade scenarios, and long-range strike coordination.